Circuit-controller.



W. C. REED.

cmcun CONTROLLER. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25. 1916.

1 31,8, l 7.8 Pafnted Oct. l7, 1919.

2 SHETS-SHEET 2.

Il lll'.

troller is represented in Fig. 1, in which 2 indicates a cylindricalcoilstanding on end UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

WALTER C. REED, OF DALTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 PHILIP W. GOEWEY,OE

PI'ITSIEIEIII),l MASSACHUSETTS.

cIEcUIT-coNTEoLLEE Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application led October 25, 191. Serial No. 127,570,

` To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER C. REED, acitizen of the United States, residing at Dalton, in the county -ofBerkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented cerv ers and pipeorgans. My invention pro-y vides a circuit controllerwhich has 'in amarked degree the characteristics above referred to and is also simpleand inexpensive in construction and not likely to get out ,of order, andresides in certain eatures of construction and arrangement hereinafterdescribed in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure1 is a side elevation `of one form of my circuit controller;

Fig. 2 is asimilar view what modified form;

showing a some- Fig. 3 shows in plan view a construction similar to thatillustrated in Fig. 2;

A Fig. 4 is Aan elevation `showing' another" -modicatiom and l Fig. 5 isa plan view showing still another modification. v

An elementary form of my circuit conon aV supporting base 3 andcontaining a soft iron core 4 the upper pole 5 of whichv projectsslightly above the coil and is shown as having its transverse dimensionsreduced as 'compared with those of the core 4, in

order to concentrate the magnetic flux at this point. ',The armature ofthe magnet consists of a small soft-iron tube 6V carried by a springkwire 7 which passes'through the tube and is iiXed at one end-to asuitable support such as a wooden block 8 in such position that the tube6, which is located at or nearthe free end of the wire 7 is heldslightly above and out of contact with the pole 5 by the spring actionlof the wire under normal conditions, or when the coil 2 Y is notenergized. Preferably,`in order that the magnetic circuit may beVpractically com-plete,.the magnet includes a soft iron bar 9 extendingfrom the lower end of the core 4 around the outside of the coil to apoint level with the top of the projecting pole 5, the tube 6 beingarranged to bridge the space between the parts 5 and 9. The

circuit to be controlled is `indicated bv the circuit wires 10 and 11connected respectively to the fixed part of the wire 7 vand to one ofthe fixed soft iron parts of the magnet, such as the bar 9 and theI coil2 is energized through circuit wires (not shown) leading respectively toterminals 12 and 13 carried by the base 3 and havin the'l ends othe coil2 connected thereto. go long as this coil is not energized the armatureof the magnet is held at a vshort distance above' the parts 5 and 9 bythe spring wire 7, so

that the circuit to be controlled is open, but wheneverA the coil 2 isenergized the tube 6 is attracted and drawn into contact with one orboth of said parts 5 and 9, vthereby closing the circuit through thewire 7.

Another ,iormof my circuit controller is shown in Fig. 2, in which thevarious parts described except that the spring wire 77 is extendedslightly beyond the magnet and provided at its free end with a smallsilver tip 14 which is normally held out of contact with a metalliccontact bar 15 located beneath the tip and secured to an upright 16carried by the base 3, the circuit wire 11 bein connected to the,contact bar 15 instea 'of to the bar 9 as in Fig. 1. In this form of thedevice the contact bar 15 is located at such an elevation that when the"tip 14 is drawn into contact with said bar by the energizing of themagnet the soft due Ato the increasing force of the magnet fas the. tubeapproaches its poles. The emnetism after `the magnet has beendenergized, whereas if aslight gap is lett between Patented oct. 7,1919. Y

. are constructed and arranged as lalready Airon tube 6 is out ofcontact with the parts -5 'and 9, but in either case a firm contactvresults from the attraction of said tube 6,

said tube and poles such sticking isleectively prevented and certaintyof ac'tmnlof the controller is insured.

Fig. 3 shows a form of my circuit con-v troller in' which several of thespring wires 7 are employed in connection with a single magnet by whichthey are all attracted or released simultaneously, the constructionbeing otherwise the same as that illustrated in Fig. 2 except that thepole 5, the bar 9 and the contact bar 15 are given such dimensions that.they extend beneath and are common to all the spring wires. This formof the device is particularly adapted for use in pipe organs for thepurpose of controlling the `circuits through the agency of which therespective pipes 4are sounded, since the several spring wires 7 can beindependently connected through their respective circuit wires tocorresponding pipesounding devices. In such case, when the magnet isenergized current will be fed from the contact bar to all thepipe-sounding devices controlled by that magnet, subjectto such controlof the individual circuit wires as may be provided elsewhere.

Fig. t illustrates a modification in which a second contact bar 17having a circuit wire 18 connected thereto is located above the tip 14on the spring wire 7 and is normally in contact with said tip, thiscontact being broken when the magnet is energized. This form of thedevice is thus adapted to open a normally-closed circuit by includingthe wires 10 and 18 in such circuit, in which case the lower contact bar15 may beA thrown out of circuit and used merely as a stop to limit thedownward movement of the tip 14. If both of the circuit wires 11 and 18are connected to di'erent branch circuits the device may be used as atransfer switch,`

since the circuits through said wires 11 and 18 will be opened andclosed respectively so long as the magnet is denergized but will beclosed and opened respectively so long as the magnet is energized.

Instead of employing a metallic contact bar which is common to all ofthe spring wires in case several such wires are combined with a singlemagnet, ,as in Fig. 3,

individual contact bars for the several wires may be used instead,thereby preserving the complete independence of'all the circuits inwhich said wires are included. Such an arrangement is illustrated inFig. 5, in

, which each of the' wires 7 is shown as having its tip 14 locatedbeneath and normally in contact with an individual contact bar 15mounted on one end of a supporting wire 19 which is carried by andpasses through the upright 16, the several contact bars 15 beingarranged in line and laterally insulated from one another by thin berpartitions 2O interposed between them. This figure also shows thearrangement employed when it is' desired to open or close a largenumber` of'circuits simultaneously, 1n which case two or more of thecoils 2 are located side by side and included in a singlev pole for thecombined magnets, and the.

wires 7 are arranged side by side above the parts 5 and 9". In otherrespects the construction is the same as that illustrated in Fig. 4.

It will be observed that in each form of my circuit controller abovedescribed the armature is carried by and moves with a spring wire whichalso-serves as a conductor forming a part of the circuit to becontrolled thereby, and since these parts can be made very light andmove without friction they are capable of operating with extremerapidity and require but little current to operate them. Thesecharacteristics of my controller, as well as its simplicity, its freedomfrom pivotally-mounted parts and its compactness when constructed tocontrol a considerable number of circuits, render it particularlyserviceable for use in electricallyoperated pipe organs, in which alarge number of circuit controllers are ordinarily required.

I claim:

1. A circuit controller comprising a spring wire adapted to be includedin an electric circuit and to open and close the same, and anelectro-magnet having a *tubular armature mounted on said spring wireand normally held away from the magnet by the Aspring action of thewire.

2. A circuit controller comprising a spring wire adapted to be includedin an electric circuit and to open and close the same, an electro-magnethaving its poles arranged side by side, and a tubular armature mountedon said spring wire in position to bridge the poles ofthe magnet andnormally held away from said poles by the spring action of the wire.

3. A circuit controller lcomprising a spring wire adapted to be includedin one branch of the circuit to be controlled and provided with aconducting tip, an electro-magnet having a tubular armature mounted onsaid spring wire and normally held away from a pole of the magnet by thespring action of the wire, and a contact bar adapted to be connected tothe other branch of the circuit to be controlled and located beneathsaid conducting tip and at one side of the magnet in position to holdsaid armature closely adjacent to but out of contact with the pole ofthe 'magnet when attracted thereby.

. 4:. A circuit controller comprising a plulso rality of spring wireseach adapted to be included in an electric circuit and to open and closethe same, and an electro-magnethaving a plurality of tubular armatureslocated side by side over a pole of the magnet and each mounted on oneof said wires, each armature being normally held away from the magnetpole by the spring action of the corresponding wire.

5. A circuit controller comprising a plurality of spring wires eachadapted to be included in an electric circuit and' to open and close thesame, an electro-magnet having its poles arranged side by side andseverally located beneath the collective spring wires, and a pluralityof tubular armatures each mounted on one of the sprin wires in positionto bridge the poles of t e magnet and normally held away from said polesby the spring action of the corresponding wire. y

6. A circuit controller comprising a plurality of spring wires eachprovided with a conducting tip, an electro-magnet having its polesarranged side by side and severally located beneath the collectivespring wires, va

plurality of tubular armatures each mounted on one of the spring wiresin position to bridge the poles of the magnet and normally held awayfrom said poles by the spring action of the wire7 and a contact barlocated beneath the collective conducting tips and at one side of themagnet in position to hold the collective armatures closely adjacent tobut out of contact with .the poles of the magnet when attracted thereby.

7. A circuit controller comprising a plurality of electro-magnets, asoft-iron bar eX- tending across like poles'of said magnets andconstituting a single pole piece therefor, a plurality of spring wireseach adapted to be included in an electric circuit and to open and closethe same, and a plurality of armatures each carried by one of the springwires and normally held away from the said pole piece by the springaction of the wire.

8. A circuit controller comprising a plurality of electro-magnets havingtheir like poles connected by pole pieces which are common to all themagnets and are arranged side by side, a plurality of spring* wires eachadapted to be included in an electric circuit and to open and close thesame, and a plurality of armatures each carried by one of the springwires in position to bridge said pole pieces and normally held away fromthe latter by the spring action of the wire.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this seventeenth day of October,1916.

WALTER o. REED.

